Disk holder and disk rotating device having the same

ABSTRACT

A disk holder suitable for a disk rotating device of a chemical-mechanical polishing apparatus is provided. The disk holder is provided with a base and a fence. The base has a bearing surface at the bottom for bearing a disk thereon. The fence is connected to the peripheral of the base and extends there-from towards a space above the base. By the additional fence, the disk holder prevents the chippings on the base from being flung away from the base under the influence of a centrifugal force.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a chemical-mechanical polishing apparatus, and more particularly, to a disk holder suitable for being used in a chemical-mechanical polishing apparatus and a disk rotating device having the same.

2. Description of Related Art

The chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) is a technology applied in a global planarization of the semiconductor process. The concept of CMP means using the mechanical polishing process cooperated with an appropriate slurry to planarize the undulating profile of the surface of the semiconductor wafer.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional CMP apparatus. Referring to FIG. 1, the CMP apparatus 100 includes a polishing platen 110, and a polishing pad 112 is laid on the top of the polishing platen 110 and rotates together with the polishing platen 110. Moreover, the CMP apparatus 100 further includes a wafer rotating device 120 that includes a wafer holder 122 and a buffer pad 124, wherein the buffer pad 124 is laid at the bottom of the wafer holder 122 and rotates together with the wafer holder 122. Furthermore, the CMP apparatus 100 further includes a dispenser 130 for supplying the slurry onto the polishing pad 112.

During the CMP process conducted to a wafer 200, the wafer holder 122 catches the back surface of the wafer 200 via the buffer pad 124, and presses the front surface of the wafer 200 onto the polishing pad 112. The polishing platen 110 and the wafer holder 122 rotate respectively, and the dispenser 130 continuously supplies the slurry onto the polishing pad 112. Therefore, the protruding portion of the deposited layer on the front surface of the wafer 200 can be gradually removed by the chemical reaction of the slurry on the surface of the wafer 200 and the mechanical polishing conducted on the front surface of the wafer 200 on the polishing platen 110, thus, planarizing the front surface of the wafer 200.

However, during the CMP process, the by-product produced by the chemical reaction of the slurry on the surface of the wafer 200 is remained on the fluff of the surface of the polishing pad 112, thus making the surface of the polishing pad 112 become hard and smooth, which is called a phenomenon of glazing. Therefore, for dressing and conditioning the polishing pad 112, i.e., to recover the fluff of the polishing pad 112 to the original state and remove the by-product remaining on the fluff of the polishing pad 112, the CMP apparatus 100 further includes a conditioner 140.

The conditioner 140 includes a disk holder 142 and a diamond disk 144, wherein the diamond disk 144 is installed at the bottom of the disk holder 142. Therefore, the fluff of the polishing pad 112 can be recovered to the original state by using the disk holder 142 to drive the diamond disk 144 to rotate on the polishing pad 112 and thereby removing the by-product remaining on the fluff of the polishing pad 112.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a conventional conditioner. Referring to FIG. 2, the conventional conditioner 300 includes a motor 310, a gear box 320 and a transmission shaft 330, wherein the motor 310 is coupled with the gear box 320, and the gear box 320 is coupled with the transmission shaft 330. Therefore, the motor 310 indirectly provides a torque to the transmission shaft 330 via the gear box 320, and the gear box 320 adjusts the rotating speed of the transmission shaft 330 to a default value.

The conditioner 300 further includes a coupling 340, wherein a sleeve portion 342 of the coupling 340 is fitted with a segment of the transmission shaft 330. The conditioner 300 further includes a disk holder 350 and a diamond disk 360 which are the component 142 and the component 144 in FIG. 1 respectively, wherein a shaft portion 344 of the coupling 340 is coupled with the disk holder 350, and the diamond disk 360 is installed at the bottom of the disk holder 350.

In order to ensure the torque of the transmission shaft 330 to be imposed on the disk holder 350, the conditioner 300 further includes a twist block 370 coupled between the coupling 340 and the disk holder 350, wherein a latch 372 is disposed between the sleeve portion 342 of the coupling 340 and the twist block 370, and used for forcing the twist block 370 and the coupling 340 to rotate at the same time. Therefore, the twist block 352 drives a driven block 352 on top of the disk holder 350 for ensuring the torque to be imposed on the disk holder 350.

In order to make the disk holder 350 and the diamond disk 360 there-below rotate on the polishing pad 112 in FIG. 1 relative to the polishing pad 112, the conditioner 300 further includes a casing 380 and a ball bearing 390, wherein the casing 380 is fixed on one side of the gear box 320, and the ball bearing 390 is fixed in the casing 380 and fitted with the sleeve portion 342 of the coupling 340.

Therefore, after the casing 380 is connected to one end of a swing arm 400, the position of the diamond disk 360 on the polishing pad 112 in FIG. 1 is changed by swinging the swing arm 400, and the sleeve portion 342 of the coupling 340 is carried on the inner ring of the ball bearing 390, so that the sleeve portion 342 of the coupling 340 is rotated in the casing 380 relative to the casing 380.

However, when the conventional conditioner 300 is operated, the metal chippings produced by the elements such as the motor 310, the gear box 320, the transmission shaft 330 or the ball bearing 390 move gradually towards the top of the disk holder 350 along the transmission shaft 330 or the coupling 340.

Under the influence of a centrifugal force, the metal chippings move from the top of the disk holder 350 to the surface of the polishing pad 112 in FIG. 1, which will scratch the wafer 200 in FIG. 1 to be chemically polished, thus reducing the performance and yield of the CMP.

Furthermore, as for the top of the conventional disk holder 350, it is much easier for the metal chippings to be flung away and fall onto the surface of the polishing pad 112 in FIG. 1, thus accelerating the circumstance that the metal chippings fall onto the surface of the polishing pad 112 in FIG. 1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to providing a disk holder for preventing the chippings from being flung away under the influence of a centrifugal force.

The present invention is further directed to providing a disk rotating device with a disk holder for preventing the chippings from being flung away under the influence of a centrifugal force.

In order to achieve the above or other objectives, the present invention provides a disk holder suitable for being used in a disk rotating device of a chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus. The disk holder is provided with a base and a fence. The base has a bearing surface at the bottom for bearing a disk. The fence is connected to the peripheral of the base and extends there-from towards a space above the base.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the base and the fence are integrated as a whole.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the fence and the base are made of ABS, plastic or tetrafluoroethylene.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the fence substantially vertically or slantingly extends from the peripheral of the base towards a space above the base.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the fence extends from the peripheral of the base towards a space above the base and sequentially along at least two directions.

In one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of these directions is substantially vertical or slanting to the bearing surface.

In order to achieve the above or other objectives, the present invention provides a disk rotating device suitable for being used in a CMP apparatus. The disk rotating device comprises a disk holder, a transmission shaft and a motor. The disk holder is provided with a base and a fence. The base has a bearing surface at the bottom for bearing a disk. The fence is connected to the peripheral of the base and extends there-from towards a space above the base. The transmission shaft is coupled with the base. The motor is coupled with the transmission shaft.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the disk rotating device further comprises a gear box, and the motor is coupled with the transmission shaft via the gear box.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the disk rotating device further comprises a coupling, which is used for coupling the transmission shaft with the base.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the disk rotating device further comprises a twist block coupled between the coupling and the base, wherein the coupling imposes a torque on the base via the twist block.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the disk rotating device further comprises a casing and a ball bearing, wherein the casing is fixed on one side of the gear box, and the ball bearing is fixed within the casing for fitting with the coupling.

In view of the above, by the additional fence, the disk holder of the present invention can prevent the chippings on the base from being flung away from the base under the influence of the centrifugal force.

In order to make the aforementioned and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, preferred embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a conventional CMP apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a conventional conditioner.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a disk holder according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the disk holder of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the disk holder of FIG. 4 taken along the line A-A.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the disk holder in FIG. 5 applied in a disk rotating device.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a disk holder according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a disk holder according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a disk holder according to a forth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a disk holder according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a disk holder according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a top view of the disk holder in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the disk holder in FIG. 4 taken along the line A-A. Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the disk holder 500 of the first embodiment includes a base 510, wherein the base 510 is approximately disk-shaped and has a bearing surface 512 at the bottom for bearing a disk thereon (not shown).

Moreover, the disk holder 500 further includes a fence 520 connected to the peripheral of the base 510 and extends there-from towards a space above the base 510. The fence 520 extends vertically from the peripheral of the base 510 towards the space above the base 510, thus forming an accommodation space together with the base 510 for accommodating the chippings from there-above. The above vertical direction is mentioned with respect to the bearing surface 512.

In the first embodiment, the base 510 and the fence 520 are formed integrally, wherein the base 510 and the fence 520 are made of ABS, plastic or tetrafluoroethylene. However, in other embodiments which are not shown, the base 510 and the fence 520 also may be fabricated separately and then assembled together.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the disk holder in FIG. 5 applied in a disk rotating device. The disk rotating device 600 includes a motor 610, a gear box 620, and a transmission shaft 630, wherein the motor 610 is coupled with the gear box 620, and the gear box 620 is coupled with the transmission shaft 630. Therefore, the motor 610 indirectly provides the torque to the transmission shaft 630 via the gear box 620, and the gear box 620 is used to adjust the rotating speed of the transmission shaft 630 to a default value.

Under the circumstance that it is unnecessarily to change the output rotating speed of the motor 610, the gear box 620 can be omitted, and the motor 610 can be directly coupled with the transmission shaft 630, or, the transmission shaft 630 can be directly replaced by a power output shaft of the motor 610.

In order to steadily output the torque from the transmission shaft 630 to the disk holder 500, the disk rotating device 600 further includes a coupling 640, wherein a sleeve portion 642 of the coupling 640 is fitted with a segment of the transmission shaft 630, and a shaft portion 644 of the coupling 640 is coupled to the top of the base 5 10 of the disk holder 500. In the present embodiment, the sleeve portion 642 and the shaft portion 644 of the coupling 640 are formed integrally so as to decrease the generation of metal chippings.

In order to ensure the torque from the transmission shaft 630 to be imposed on the base 510 of the disk holder 500, the disk rotating device 600 further includes a twist block 670 coupled between the coupling 640 and the base 510 of the disk holder 500, wherein a latch 672 is disposed between the sleeve portion 642 of the coupling 640 and the twist block 670, so as to force the twist block 670 and the coupling 640 to rotate at the same time. Therefore, the twist block 670 drives a driven block 530 disposed on top of base 510 of the disk holder 500 (see FIGS. 3 and 6), for ensuring the torque to be imposed on base 510 of the disk holder 500.

In order to move the disk holder 500 and a disk 700 there-below, the disk rotating device 600 further comprises a casing 680 and a ball bearing 690, wherein the casing 680 is fixed on one side of the gear box 620, and the ball bearing 690 is fixed within the casing 680 and fitted with the sleeve portion 642 of the coupling 640. Therefore, after the casing 680 is connected to one end of a swing arm 800, the position of the disk 700 is changed by swinging the swing arm 800, and the sleeve portion 642 of the coupling 640 is carried at the inner ring of the ball bearing 690, so that the sleeve portion 642 of the coupling 640 can rotate within the casing 680 relative to the casing 680.

The metal chippings produced by the elements such as the motor 610, the gear box 620, the transmission shaft 630 or the ball bearing 690 gradually move towards the top of the base 510 of the disk holder 500 along the transmission shaft 630 or the coupling 640. Under the influence of the centrifugal force, in order to prevent the bad influences caused by the metal chippings, the fence 520 of the disk holder 500 prevents the chippings from being flung away from the base 510.

The disk holder 500 and the disk rotating device 600 using the same in the first embodiment not only can be applied to the diamond disk rotating device (i.e., the polishing pad conditioner) of the CMP apparatus, but also can be applied in the wafer rotating device of the CMP apparatus for rotating the wafer.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, the disk 700 is a diamond disk. When being a diamond disk, the disk 700 is further installed onto the bearing surface 512 at the bottom of the base 510 of the disk holder 500. However, in other embodiments, the disk 700 may be a wafer or another disk-shaped object. When the disk 700 is substituted by a wafer, not only the disk 700 is positioned on the bearing surface 512 at the bottom of the base 510 of the disk holder 500, but also a buffer pad (component 124 in FIG. 1) is further disposed between the disk holder 500 and the disk 700 for catching the back surface of the disk 700, so as to prevent the disk 700 from being pressed excessively.

In the first embodiment, the fence 520 of the disk holder 500 extends vertically from the peripheral of the base 510 towards a space above the base 510, but in the following embodiments, the fence 520 also can extend slantingly or horizontally.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a disk holder according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, compared with the disk holder 500 of FIG. 5 in the first embodiment, the fence 820 a of the disk holder 800 a not only extends vertically for a certain distance, but also extends horizontally towards the center of the base 810 a for a short distance. Therefore, under the influence of the centrifugal force, the fence 820 a effectively prevents the chippings from being flung away from the base 810 a. The above vertical and horizontal directions are mentioned with respect to the bearing surface 812 a.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a disk holder according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 8, compared with the disk holder 500 of FIG. 5 in the first embodiment, the fence 820 b of the disk holder 800 b extends slantingly towards the center of the base 810 b to the space above the base 810 b. Therefore, under the influence of the centrifugal force, the fence 820 b effectively prevents the chippings from being flung away from the base 810 b. The above slanting direction is mentioned with respect to the bearing surface 812 b.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a disk holder according to a forth embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 9, compared with the disk holder 800 b of FIG. 8 in the third embodiment, the fence 820 c of the disk holder 800 c not only extends slantingly towards the center of the base 810 c to the space above the base 810 c, but also extends horizontally towards the center of the base 810 c for a short distance. Therefore, under the influence of the centrifugal force, the fence 820 c effectively prevents the chippings from being flung away from the base 810 c. The above slanting and horizontal directions are mentioned with respect to the bearing surface 812 c.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a disk holder according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 10, compared with the disk holder 800 c of FIG. 9 in the forth embodiment, the fence 820 d of the disk holder 800 d not only extends slantingly contrary to the center of the base 810 d to the space above the base 810 d, but also extends horizontally towards the center of the base 810 d for a short distance. Therefore, under the influence of the centrifugal force, the fence 820 d effectively prevents the chippings from being flung away from the base 810 d. The above slanting and horizontal directions are mentioned with respect to the bearing surface 812 d.

To sum up, by the additional fence, the disk holder of the present invention prevents the chippings on the base from being flung away from the base under the influence of the centrifugal force. When the disk holder of the present invention is applied to the disk rotating device of the CMP apparatus, for example, the diamond disk rotating device (i.e., the polishing pad conditioner) or the wafer rotating device, the present invention can prevent the metal chippings from being flung away from the base and falling onto the polishing pad to scratch the wafer, so as to maintain the performance and yield of the CMP.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents. 

1. A disk holder, suitable for being applied in a disk rotating device of a chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) apparatus, comprising: a base, having a bearing surface at the bottom for bearing a disk; and a fence, connected to the peripheral of the base and extending there-from towards a space above the base.
 2. The disk holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base and the fence are integrated as a whole.
 3. The disk holder as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fence and the base are made of ABS, plastic or tetrafluoroethylene.
 4. The disk holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fence extends substantially vertically or slantingly from the peripheral of the base towards the space above the base.
 5. The disk holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fence extends sequentially along at least two directions from the peripheral of the base towards the space above the base.
 6. The disk holder as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one of the directions is substantially vertical or slanting to the bearing surface.
 7. A disk rotating device, suitable for being applied in a CMP apparatus, comprising: a disk holder, comprising: a base, having a bearing surface at the bottom for bearing a disk; and a fence, connecting to the peripheral of the base and extending there-from towards a space above the base; a transmission shaft, coupled with the base; and a motor, coupled with the transmission shaft.
 8. The disk rotating device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the base and the fence are integrated as a whole.
 9. The disk rotating device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the fence and the base are made of ABS, plastic or tetrafluoroethylene.
 10. The disk rotating device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fence extends substantially vertically or slantingly from the peripheral of the base towards the space above the base.
 11. The disk rotating device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the fence extends sequentially along at least two directions from the peripheral of the base towards the space above the base.
 12. The disk rotating device as claimed in claim 11, wherein at least one of the directions is substantially vertical or slanting to the bearing surface.
 13. The disk rotating device as claimed in claim 7, further comprising: a gear box, wherein the motor is coupled to the transmission shaft via the gear box.
 14. The disk rotating device as claimed in claim 13, further comprising: a coupling, for coupling the transmission shaft with the base.
 15. The disk rotating device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the coupling comprises a sleeve portion fitted with a segment of the transmission shaft and a shaft portion coupled to the top of the base, and the sleeve portion and the shaft portion are formed integrally.
 16. The disk rotating device as claimed in claim 14, further comprising: a twist block, coupled between the coupling and the base, wherein the coupling imposes a torque on the base via the twist block.
 17. The disk rotating device as claimed in claim 14, further comprising: a casing, fixed on one side of the gear box; and a ball bearing, fixed within the casing and fitted with the coupling. 